Bump Alert!

This is for all you out there (my sisters!) who didn't believe me that I have a belly now!

No, I am not trying to stick it out or arch my back! ;)

I also just want to throw out there that I am a normal girl, with a normal body type. Unlike my sister, Chelsea, who is 5'11'' and looked pretty much like this the day she delivered. So do not compare me to her! I will probably get huge!

I am 18 weeks today and here are a few updates:

• I am eating ALL DAY LONG but still weigh 8 lbs less than I did at my first doctor's appt. (which I'm sure will change shortly!)
• Feeling MUCH better than I was a month ago, as long as I take my Zofran everyday
• Craving Mexican food- specifically Cafe Rio
• Get a bad headache a least once a day (side effect of the Zofran) and my back hurts pretty much 24/7 already
• Am ready to go bed by 8 pm, but I'm usually still at school at this time
• Find it incredibly difficult to get up every morning and poor Brandon has to go through about a 15 min routine to get me outta bed
• Have the craziest dreams every night. You wouldn't even believe me if I tried to explain them
• The sight of pizza still makes me gag
• My sense of smell was pretty good before (my AZ friends used to always make fun of me for it) but now it is incredible! I can especially smell people's body odor from a mile away..unfortunately.

And the best news of all, we are finding out what we're having on February 16th!!

So leave your guesses!

I have felt deep down since the day I found out I was pregnant that it is a girl, but I've had about 6 dreams where it has been a boy so it probably is! I am just ready to stop calling it, "it!"

Cosmetology Graduation

Friday night was my graduation ceremony for Cosmetology School. I wont officially be done with my hours until the 26th (if I keep getting 50 hours/week..) but they just have one big graduation every other other month cuz people get done at different times.

Hair school was quite the experience for me. For the first few months I would cry pretty much every night because it was SO MUCH harder than I ever thought it would be, and I really stunk at it. I used to make fun of the hair school girls, thinking they just did this to get out of going to college but now I obviously have a whole new respect for it. Despite whatever stereotype you may think, hair school is DANG HARD! You don't just go and learn how to cut a straight line or put color in someone's hair- you have to learn and use chemistry, anatomy, math, every kind of hair, skin, and nail disease, disorder, and condition.. You have to be on a clock at least 40 hours a week (been about 55 for me, lately) and stand and do hair for hours on end..and don't get paid a dime, unless someone is so kind enough to give you a $1 tip.

I started school at Bon Losee but in March, they sold to a more commercial company, Marinello. Overall, it pretty much sucked being in the middle of the transition. Every day a new rule, and promises broken.

K, I'm done complaining. Really though, I am so grateful that I had a supportive husband and parent's when I decided to drop out of UVU and go to hair school and do something that I like and will actually use. Especially grateful to my parents for paying for it (not cheap!) It has been an amazing experience and I have learned more than I could ever imagine. I have come a LONG way since that first day I started when I didn't even know how to French braid! I feel so much more confident, have a ton of request clients every week and hardly even need help from my instructors. Still have a lot to learn though, but I'm told you just have to get out in the real world and go for it!

I'm planning on taking my State Board tests (so scary!) in Idaho so hopefully I can do that ASAP.

A lot of money has been paid, and a lot of sweat and tears have gone into my education, so sorry family, but no more free haircuts :) (Haven't decided on set prices yet, but I will let you know)

Brandon surprised me with beautiful flowers :)

My best friend, Lauren Browne! Could not have made it through school without her. We are pretty much the same person and have been through a lot together! She is getting married in March

Lauren spoke at graduation

Chrismas 09

Better late than never, right?

We got to go down to Beaver for Christmas this year. My Mom is from Beaver and I spent every Christmas of my life there, until I got married! It's a great place and it was good to go back and see a lot of family, still missed a lot of you guys though :( I was quite ill the whole time so took hardly any pictures but our time was spent with eating yummy meals, family parties, playing games, watching movies, and just being together!

My sister Chelsea and Nathan were able to make the long drive from Denver so we could see this little peanut!

Luke Nathan Petersen born on November 23rd

He is so tiny!

We were lookin GOOD on Christmas Eve

My mom always brings us matching jammies to wear. Brandon's shirt says "what happens under the mistletoe, stays under the mistletoe"




It was fun having these 3 little ones. The 2 on the outside are Creighton and Kaitlyn, my brother Jason's kids and the middle is Skylar, my sister Ashlee's

My parents got us a really sweet video camera, gift cards, clothes, money, and many other grand things! Brandon gave me some cute clothes, a new blow dryer, slippers... and I got him a scale (his request!), slippers, new scriptures, beef jerky...

After opening gifts we gave my mom one last gift. Inside the box was a baby bottle with a note attached saying "We are having a baby! Due on the 4th of July"

Carly and Joel

My old roommate and good friend Carly Williams got married in Salt Lake on December 19th. We got to go to the sealing and then a dinner at the Lion House after, it was a lot of fun!

(These pictures are out of order but I am sick of dealing with Blogger's stupid ways)

This is at the dinner with the happy couple. The girl on left end actually went on a few dates with Brandon before we met so that made it kind of awkward haha. The rest of the girls were my roommates.

Wasn't her bouquet so cool? I guess that broach was her Grandma's

Waiting in the Joseph Smith Building. The girl in the middle is Jill, who is now serving a mission in England! The other couple is Elaine and Ryan (my old roommate, who wore my dress for her wedding last year)

They didn't get married until 4:30, so by the time they came out it was dark and freezing!

New Year's Bust

Well, after not being able to keep much of anything down for almost a week, we decided it was time to call the doctor. He thought it be wise for me to go into the Emergency Room :/

(Almost exactly one year after having to go into the ER for almost the exact same thing in Burley)

So we went. And waited for about an hour. Then finally got a room.

My least favorite part about going to the hospital is having to get the IV in! The women in my family have HORRIBLE veins to find so the lady was fishing around in both arms for quite some time. It was awful.

But 4 hours, 2 IV bags, and a dose of Zofran (the same medicine they give cancer patients) later, we were sent on our way.

He gave me a prescription for Zofran, also referred to as the "expensive stuff" so we were really afraid to go and get it filled. But it ended up only costing us $16! Pretty much the first thing my insurance has ever covered. Best news of the day!

And let me tell you, that stuff is the miracle drug! I feel like a whole new woman today! Still pretty weak and tired but no nauseousness!!

Mom and baby are doing well :)